The Breakup Monologues with Rosie Wilby

Rosie investigates how to move on (or not) after trauma. She speaks to author Laura Kay about her novel The Split and the real life breakup experiences that inspired it, whether we need travel discounts for the newly broken-hearted, the nuances of queer endings and why she thinks the aftermath of a separation is a good time to make big life decisions. Rosie also chats to actor, comedian and writer Sam Pamphilon about what happens when you and your ex stay living in the same house and how to cope when your ex’s new partner is wearing your pants and driving your car. Finally she speaks to Empire magazine editor and author Terri White about moving on from the traumatic experiences she describes in her memoir Coming Undone and the intense, dramatic relationships we sometimes find ourselves having at chaotic times in our lives.

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Rosie investigates how travel can help us heal after a breakup. She speaks to author and travel writer Anna Hart about a youthful hedonistic post-heartbreak trip to Holland which involved sleeping wrapped in a curtain on a drug dealer’s floor, the joyful power of dancing and how we can still channel the spirit of travel when we have to stay in one location. Rosie also chats to award-winning comedian Carl Donnelly about a post-divorce trip to India that gave him a new perspective on some of the things his former wife had been feeling and how the nomadic lifestyle of constant touring can disrupt, and occasionally facilitate, romantic relationships. Finally she speaks to comedian and podcaster Rachel Creeger about a gap year in Israel that allowed her to find her voice and define her boundaries with an ex who didn’t want to let go. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram

Rosie investigates the future of breakups. She speaks to author of The Future of Seduction and cultural critic Mia Levitin, who re-entered the dating game after divorcing in her thirties... and found that dating really had become a game. They discuss ghosting, the paradox of choice, video dating and robot companions. Rosie also chats to award-winning comedian Shazia Mirza about the near-future possibility of taking an ‘anti-love drug’ to forget a bad breakup and how long-term relationships are impacted by a pandemic. Finally she speaks to creator of the blog and podcast Non-Monogamy Help, Lola Phoenix, about how polyamory changes the conversation about breakups and how asexuality fits into the contemporary relationship landscape.

You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram

To launch this brand new season, Rosie investigates and celebrates singledom. She speaks to Scummy Mummies podcaster Helen Thorn, who found herself suddenly single after twenty-two years of marriage just as the U.K. went into lockdown. Helen entered a sort of ‘separation boot camp’, filled with sad songs and sneaky fags at the back of the garden, in the absence of being able to hug friends. But she revelled in the liberation of reclaiming the house, spending quality time with her children and discovering, via online flirting and dating, that her sex drive had suddenly gone through the roof. Rosie also chats to author and podcaster Francesca Specter, who has coined the word Alonement in order to reclaim solo time as a joyful and precious thing a million miles away from loneliness, and to happily long-term singleton comedian Juliet Meyers. You can now follow The Breakup Monologues on Instagram

In a live episode recorded at The Bullingdon as part of IF Oxford, Rosie chats to anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar and author Max Dickins about friendship - why why we need friends, how many friends we can have, friendship breakups, the ambiguous language of friendship, the When Harry Met Sally (or when Sally met Sally) question, Jane Austen’s observations on relationships, whether a close romantic friendship could ever count as ‘cheating’, the differences between (straight) male and female friendships and the experience of people with identities beyond those binaries.